


It's Not Your Fault

by The3rdTrumpeteer



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Angst, Car Accident, Flashbacks, Gen, Modern AU, it's mostly just about davey and les, like no happiness in here at all, the davey/jack is mentioned, y'all this is a whole angst ride
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-04-25 17:33:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14383578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The3rdTrumpeteer/pseuds/The3rdTrumpeteer
Summary: A drunk driver hits Davey's car while he and Les are driving home one night.





	1. Chapter 1

“You have fun today, Les?” Davey asked, putting the car in reverse and backing it out of the parking spot.

“So much fun!” Les exclaimed between bites of his ice cream, which he was trying to finish quickly even as it threatened to drip on the seat. “Why can’t you come home from college more often?”

Davey laughed and pulled onto the highway, heading for their house. “If I came home more often, you’d get sick of me. Now finish your ice cream before it melts all over my car.”

Les grinned and bit into his cone. “You’re such a neat freak.”

“Hey, I don’t have to be a neat freak to not want sticky stuff all over my seats. That’s hard to get out, y’know.” This time Les laughed, but made sure he kept all the ice cream in the cone. He finished it in a couple more bites and then leaned back and stared out the window at the passing streetlights.

“So...” he said thoughtfully, then turned to Davey with a mischievous smile. “You got a boyfriend yet?”

“Les!” Davey feel a furious blush creeping up his neck, and he tightened his grip on the steering wheel just a bit. “You’re, uh...you’re too young to ask about stuff like that.”

Les rolled his eyes. “I’m twelve, Davey, not five.”

“Well-”

“It’s okay, Davey, you don’t have to tell me.”

“No, it’s okay.” Davey said. “You’re right - you’re not a baby. Yeah, I’ve been talking to someone.” He smiled a little to think about it. “His name’s Jack. He’s an art major. You’d like him. Very creative...free-spirited.”

“Jack sounds really cool.” Les’ eyes suddenly lit up. “You should bring him with you the next time you come home to visit!”

“Maybe…” But Davey just said that so Les would drop the subject for a while. Sure, he had been talking to Jack. Amazing, talented, attractive Jack. But they were just talking. Jack probably only thought of him as a friend, anyway-

“Davey, did I tell you what happened at school yesterday?”

Thank God for children’s short attention spans. Davey stopped at a red light. “No, you didn’t. What happened?”

“Okay, so we had a really big test yesterday, and this one kid…”

Davey let Les babble. The light turned green. He pressed the gas pedal.

And barely saw the bright headlights of the truck before it slammed into the side of his car at an alarming speed, sending it skidding into the ditch on the side of the road.

* * *

The room was too bright, Davey thought. The light pierced through his closed eyelids. Had he forgotten to turn off his lamp before he fell asleep? And  _shit,_ his head hurt. Jack must have finally talked him into going to one of those art parties. He was hungover now, regretting all his decisions, and that was why he didn’t remember any-

_Bright headlights, brighter than anything Davey had ever seen._

_Something huge slamming into the car._

_A brief feeling of flying. But not the fun kind. Weightlessness. He had thrown an arm across Les’ chest, as if that would do anything._

_The car hit the ditch, rolled into it. The force had thrown them forward._

_Airbags. Like a punch to the face. Was Les tall enough to ride in the front seat? Davey couldn’t remember._

_His head hurt. His chest hurt. His everything hurt._

_Was Les okay? He wasn’t answering when Davey called him._

_Red and blue lights in the distance. Getting closer._

_Shouts._

_Darkness._

Davey’s eyes flew open, but he immediately squeezed them shut again when the light hit at full force. Everything was too bright. There was beeping somewhere in the background, getting faster. It was too loud, everything was too loud. Davey didn’t know what to do.

There was a hand on his shoulder. He flinched.

“Davey? Open your eyes, honey. It’s going to be okay.” That was his mom. A few more pieces fell into place. Slowly, Davey managed to open his eyes just a little - they were too swollen to open any further than a squint.

“Mom?” He whispered. Coughed. Winced. His chest hurt. “I’m...it’s...”

“You’re in the hospital, Davey.” Her eyes were red. Had she been crying? “There was an accident.”

“Is Les okay?”

His mom’s eyes, already so red, so raw, started watering again.

“He, um...” she trailed off for a moment, seemed to collect her thoughts. “The police said the truck that hit your car ran you off the road, into a ditch. It crushed the passenger side. Les...he hasn’t woken up yet. They’re not sure when he will.”

She was crying hard now. Davey could feel tears streaming down his own face. This was his fault. His baby brother was hurt, dying.

“Mom...I’m so sorry.”

She looked confused. “Why, sweetie?”

“This was...” he could barely speak, the lump in his throat was so big. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t-”

“None of this is your fault, Davey.” His mom’s voice was stern. She took his hand. “The driver of that truck was drunk. The officer said he ran a red light. Doesn’t even remember what happened, apparently.”

“But-”

“There was nothing you could have done.” She sounded more bitter now, angry, and even though Davey knew it wasn’t directed at him, it made him feel worse. His mom closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. Then she opened them again and gave him a small smile. “I’m so glad you’re awake, Davey. We were so worried. Your dad’s in Les’ room. Do you want me to go get him?”

Davey shook his head. “I, uh...I just want to sleep right now if that’s okay.”

His mom nodded. “Okay. One of us will be here. I love you so much, Davey.”

“I love you, too.”

Davey let his eyes slip shut, but he didn’t fall asleep right away. His thoughts were on Les. One of the most important people in his life, now lying in a hospital bed. A star, dimmed by an accident that should have never happened. A star too young to be snuffed out.

What if he never woke up?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One possible ending to this story.

Davey sat in the chair next to Les’s bed. He had been released from the hospital a few days before, but had only left the building twice since then to shower. His parents had given up trying to make him leave, just brought him an extra change of clothes and food that he only picked at. He couldn’t bring himself to eat - not when every time he looked up from the plate, he saw his brother still lying in the hospital bed with too many machines surrounding him and a tube down his throat and-

A few tears trickled down Davey’s cheeks, and he was surprised. The only time he had drunk any water the past few days was when he choked down the painkillers his mother made him take.

“They’ll make you feel a little better,” she said. And Davey took them even though he knew it wasn’t true. They erased his physical pain, at least for a little while; he had a fractured wrist and broken ribs to deal with, as well as a plethora of bruises. But the ache in his heart always remained. And it would stay forever, because he knew what was happening.

No one had told Davey anything yet, but he knew what was happening. He was an adult, and he wasn’t stupid. He knew he should be angry with his parents for keeping it from him, but something deep down inside kept telling him that they had only done it because they were afraid it would break him.

Les was dying.

Davey leaned forward carefully, ignoring the pain with nothing more than a wince, and grabbed his brother’s hand. Of course Les didn’t react; his pale face looked peaceful, as if he were only sleeping instead of in a coma.

“Hi, Les,” Davey whispered. “I’m so sorry, buddy. None of this should have happened. I should have been more careful.”

He sighed. More tears.

“Mom and Dad haven’t said anything to me, but…I heard the doctors. I know you haven’t got long.”

Les had no brain activity. He wasn’t breathing on his own. Davey had been just around the corner when a doctor broke the news to his parents. They had both cried. So had Davey. His mother had wanted to wait to tell him until “later”, whenever that was. His father had agreed.

“This isn’t fair.” Davey squeezed Les’s hand, hoping in vain for any reaction. “I should be the one in a coma. You’re…you’re too young. You should be okay. I wish you were okay. I love you so, so much, Les.”

He wanted his baby brother to come back.

“Please come back.”

But the only sound was the beeping of the monitors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Tumblr: poorguysheadisdoingwhatnow

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr: http://poorguysheadisdoingwhatnow.tumblr.com


End file.
